What are Linked Cartridges?

What are Linked Cartridges?

by Lori Dkhissi

What is Linking??

Have you ever been browsing for a certain Cricut Cartridge and noticed that the description mentioned it was linked or that the link status was unknown and wondered what the link status was? 

When Cricut created the Craftroom software and the Gyspy, they allowed cartridges to be ‘linked’ so that these devices would know that you owned that cartridge and not require it to be entered in the Cricut machine every time. Cartridges can only be linked once to a user account and the link is permanent. If you upgrade to the Cricut Design Space any cartridges linked to your account will be transferred. 

If you are not using any Cricut Software or the Gypsy, then linked cartridges can still be used in any legacy machine (Personal, Create, Expression, Expression 2, Cake, etc). The linking is to an account, not to your actual machine. You can still use a Cricut Cartridge in machines from the Cricut Explore family but since the Explore requires the use of Cricut Design Space, you will need to use an unlinked cartridge. 

Cricut Cartridge in Explore Machine

So the question of whether you should buy a previously owned cartridge that has been linked will depend on you! If you love your Cricut Expression or other legacy machine and don’t see a reason to be upgrading anytime soon then go ahead and buy that previously linked cartridge! 

2 comments

SUZANNE COOK

I had no idea what a linked cartridge was. This article was very good and informative. Now, I know and can decide on buying one or not. Thank you!

Shawn Elliott

Thanks for this information, very helpful.

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